Vietnam’s progress in implementing 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) was featured in the Voluntary National Review (VNR) delivered to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York on July 16.
The Vietnamese delegation to the event is led by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong.
In a remark at the forum, Phuong said Vietnam’s sustainable development viewpoint is incorporated in socio-economic development strategies and plans and specified in the national action plan to implement the 2030 Agenda. The most outstanding achievements are the gross domestic product growth of 6.7 percent, 6.2 percent and 6.8 percent in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively, while the rate of multidimensional poverty was cut to below 7 percent in 2017 from 9.9 percent in 2015.
In 2016, the rate of households accessing clean water and electricity reached 93.4 percent and 99 percent, respectively.
In 2017, health insurance coverage hit 86.4 percent, 54.2 percent of the population had internet subscriptions and forest coverage reached 41.5 percent.
Vietnam has made strides in improving gender equality in all aspects from politics to economics, society and culture, and in facilitating public access to information and law, with a focus on the poor, the disabled and ethnic minorities.
According to the deputy minister, Vietnam has issued a Plan of Action detailing responsibilities of parties concerned from the central to grassroots level, such as the National Assembly, Government, ministries and agencies, social organisations, business circle and residential communities.
On the way to global integration, Vietnam has stepped up global and public-private partnerships to ensure resources for sustainable development, he said.
The country also has met challenges regarding the environment, climate change response, financial resources, connectivity among sectors and statistics capacity.
In the near future, Vietnam will work to promote sustainable economic growth in tandem with social progress and fairness, ecological environment protection, effective use and management of natural resources and climate change response, Phuong said.
Participants at the event hailed Vietnam’s efforts, achievements and commitments to sustainable development and asked for further sharing of experience in incorporating SDGs into national socio-economic development plans and strategies.
Themed “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”, the HLPF is held from July 9-18, 2018 with the participation of more than 2,500 delegates from 193 UN member states, international and non-governmental organisations.
The forum’s first meeting was held in 2013 following the Rio 22 Conference on Sustainable Development, in replace of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, which had met annually since 1993.
This year’s forum aims to review the fulfillment of six out of 17 SDGs and VNR by 47 countries. As part of the inter-governmental review of SDGs fulfillment, the VNR is presented each year at the HLPF, starting from 2016. UN member countries are required to make VNR at least twice between now and 2030.-
VNA
